New PASS Alarm Concepts

Being a firefighter for only a few short months, I've yet to witness the majority of the dangers on the fireground. However, having an interest and some expertise in technology had caused me to question the reliability of current PASS alarm systems. Apparently I'm not alone. PASS devices currently come in a couple flavors as I've seen them, but they're usually not the most sturdy looking things. Generally made of a plastic casing, with minimal thermal protection, it's always been questionable in my mind whether they would actually stand up to a real, life threatening encounter. Out of the many close calls, it seems that only a few incidents can actually place blame on PASS failure, but still. A firefighter's last line of defense should still be reliable, and adequate to let other firefighters know when someone's in danger. A couple other articles caught my interest too, in the ever-evolving field of firefighter safety.
Certainly, we've come a long way from bucket brigades, tin helmets, rubber coats, and high boots. The NFPA has done a great deal over the years to increase safety standards, I'll admit, but when it comes to firefighting, too much is never enough. Eventually, we'll see more and more technology take over, until the need for risking one's life in a fire is practically eliminated. Until then, though, some sturdier lines of defense are certainly in order.